


when the clock strikes twelve

by onetruethree



Series: 2020 Ficlets [6]
Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fairy Tale, Cinderella Elements, Getting Together, Multi, OT3, Pre-Poly, Soulmate-Identifying Timers, Soulmates
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-29
Updated: 2020-04-29
Packaged: 2021-03-02 02:15:20
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,343
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23887282
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/onetruethree/pseuds/onetruethree
Summary: Katara had always had two soulmarks. The first one was obvious: a countdown on her forearm that had started out at 17 years. She couldn't help but see it every day, and she couldn't hide it if she wanted to. The second one was much less obvious, though, and that one she did hide.
Relationships: Aang/Katara/Zuko (Avatar)
Series: 2020 Ficlets [6]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1673587
Comments: 2
Kudos: 95





	when the clock strikes twelve

**Author's Note:**

> ask fill from my [tumblr](https://onetruethree.tumblr.com/)

Katara had always had two soulmarks. The first one was obvious: a countdown on her forearm that had started out at 17 years. She couldn't help but see it every day, and she couldn't hide it if she wanted to. The second one was much less obvious, though, and that one she did hide. At first, it wasn't on purpose. Everyone already knew about her first soulmark, so they never asked about a second one. When she was old enough to notice it on her own, she estimated it had started at over 20 years, and was placed on her ankle where her shoes usually covered. 

She didn't put too much stock in it, anyway, since she didn't want to get her hopes up. Even if she did meet her soulmate, it wasn’t a guarantee they would fall for her. She had actually heard many stories about soulmates not getting along. 

Then, her family caught word of a boy in town with the same date and time as Katara on his countdown. In such a small community, this meant that he was surely her soulmate. Still, they couldn’t meet until their time ran out. Katara never knew what the exact consequences for that were, but many people saw it as bad luck, so she went along with the superstition.

Then, she met him, and all her fears and skepticism about her soulmark went away. When both of their timers ended at the exact same time, they played harmonizing melodies, and everything seemed to fall into place.

Aang was a wonderful person, and for years, Katara forgot about her second timer. She could always imagine spending the rest of her life with Aang, getting married, having kids, and living happily ever after. 

Then, it was announced there would be a ball on the day she knew the timer on her ankle would run out. It wasn’t just any ball, either: it was one to help Prince Zuko find his soulmate. It could be a coincidence, but Katara wasn’t willing to take that chance. Even if they never saw each other again, she was sure seeing her soulmate once would be enough for her. 

There was just one problem about going to the ball, though: she couldn’t exactly tell her boyfriend of three years that she wanted to find her second soulmate. She had kept it from him for so long, and she knew nothing would come of it anyway, so she didn't think it would be necessary. 

If she was going to a ball for the prince, though, she was going to need to look presentable, and she decided to get her brother’s help with that. His girlfriend, Suki, had a lot more appropriate dresses, so they borrowed a bright, fancy blue one from her. Then, the only thing left were the shoes, but Katara couldn’t find any of Suki’s shoes that would fit her. She realized she could wear her mother’s old glass slippers, and in no time she had her entire outfit, mask included so she could hide her identity. 

As she put on her mother’s heels, she had a look at her ankle. The timer read three hours: it would be at zero at midnight. She gulped, almost wanting to give up and stay home. Then, she imagined Prince Zuko sitting alone and watching his own timer run out, and she quickly pushed away any doubts. 

She hadn’t seen Aang all day, so it was easy to sneak out, and by the time she made it to the ball, her timer was only two hours off from zero. With the glass slippers, both of her timers would be visible to everyone, and it made her feel self conscious. She was thankful for the mask covering her face. 

Katara had never been to a ball like this: there were hundreds of potential suitors, including ones who seemed disappointed that they weren’t the prince’s soulmate, and others who were ready to comfort him if his soulmate never showed up. She would have to make the decision of whether or not to approach him, or just let his timer run out without her. She hated the latter decision, but she had no idea what she would do if she went with the first. 

Then, from the corner of her eye, she spotted a familiar suit, masked like she was, but she still recognized him, and almost did a double take. Aang? Then, the next second, he was gone, and she wondered if she was imagining things. It would make things even more complicated if she would have to explain everything to Aang with no warning. 

For some reason, her mind wandered to a rumor she had heard when she was younger: the prince had two soulmarks. She had discounted it as mere gossip when she was a kid, but now, she wondered if it was true. If so, being alone at midnight would probably be extra devastating to him. She finally resolved that the best choice would be to find him and explain everything before her timer ran out. She looked down at it, trying to be as inconspicuous as possible, and it had only 15 minutes left. 

Where had the time gone? Between the buffet, dancing with strangers, and trying her best to keep her identity a secret, the night had become tiring, but she still couldn’t believe it was almost midnight.

Katara frantically asked the guests around her if they knew where Prince Zuko was. They had conflicting answers, but most said he was out in the garden. Katara hoped she would have time to find him; she didn't have any idea where the garden was. Once someone pointed her in the right direction, she was practically running, which proved difficult in heels, and could almost feel the time ticking down. It felt like the opposite of meeting Aang for the first time: that was expected, and planned, and peaceful, while this was--

“Ouch!” She heard someone yell before she could realize she had stepped on his foot. 

It was a familiar voice, not the Prince’s at all. She looked down at her ankle: still 30 seconds left. “Sorry, I’m trying to find someone.” Then, it registered where she recognized that voice from. “Wait, Aang?” She knew she had seen him earlier. 

“Katara?” He took off his mask, and sure enough, it was Aang. 

Katara didn't have time to be confused, because she heard the telltale melody of someone’s timer going off, and when she turned around, she was face to face with Prince Zuko.

She had seen Zuko’s face in paintings before, but they had never met, so she was stunned when she saw him. He was a handsome man, and his fancy prince-like getup did nothing to diminish that beauty. He also wore a dumbfounded look on his face as he looked at the couple. He looked down at his wrists (each of which had a soulmark) and then it all clicked for Katara. 

“Aang. I think there’s something we both need to come clean about.” She faced her boyfriend, leaving Zuko to be confused for a few moments more as she revealed the second timer on her ankle, which now read zero. 

Aang’s mouth fell open, and all he could do was lift up his pant leg and reveal his own second soulmark. “Katara, I’m sorry I hid this from you--” 

She shook her head. “I think we have more to worry about at the moment.” She turned to face Zuko again, and she was sure she could never get tired of that grin of his. 

“Care to dance?” He held his hands out to the both of them, showing off his own soulmarks. 

Aang’s entire face turned red, but he took the prince’s hand, letting himself be dragged onto the dance floor, and Katara did the same. They all ignored the stares of everyone around them, and were instead excited to spend the rest of their lives with two soulmates, this time not hiding that fact from anyone.


End file.
